I Knew You Were Trouble
by Arrow of Artemis
Summary: Annabeth just wanted to help him. She did not want to have a jealous girl glaring at her daily. She certainly did not want to develop these emotions for him. But everything happens for a reason, right? -TEMPORARY HIATUS, for maybe, like, some weeks/months.-
1. Prologue

**Yes, yes, I know I still have a two-shot to complete. But this was needed to be written out before the idea goes away. And I know this is short (like, drabble-short), but it's just the prologue. The next chapters will be longer. Sorry for the grammar/spelling errors, if there are any.**

**Enjoy the story~! :)**

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**DISCLAIMER: Me does not own PJO/HoO, sadly.**

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_**Prologue**_

"Whoa, whoa, wait," she starts. "Let me get this straight. You're saying that _he _likes _me_?!"

The boy shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "Well, if you consider him liking you as constantly bugging you and calling you names and such for the past few years, then yes, he does."

She blinks in disbelief, slowly taking in the newly-found information. "N-no…that's…impossible… It's just so…ugh!" The girl sits and cradles her head with her hands. She then hears the dorm room open, then close again.

The boy she was talking to earlier pinched her slightly, just enough force to get her attention. "Hey, why don't you ask the guy himself? If he likes you, I mean."

"Wha…Who? _Him? _He's _here_?!" She suddenly felt self-conscious, wanting to fix her appearance, but chose not to because he (the guy earlier) might tease her for it.

He smirked knowingly at her. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

She didn't reply back; instead, she ran to the annoyingly large living room of their dorm, and stopped abruptly when she saw _him_. The terror of her adolescent-to-present life. He was there, standing coolly in front of the door, smiling at her rather genuinely.

Her mind was having an internal war—not a battle, but really a war—with itself, choosing between asking him nicely and snapping at him with a witty comment.

Finally, she made a decision. And she wasn't sure if this was going to turn out the way she imagined it to be.

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**And there you have the prologue. How did you guys like it? Have any ideas on who the girl and two boys in this prologue are? I'm sure all of you know who they are... ;) (And, oh, this isn't gonna be like those stories that have this kind of theme. I'm going to put my own twist in it and make it unique...somehow.)**

**Review! c:**


	2. Chapter 1

**First off, I have no idea on how the education system works in the US. So, if there are any mistakes, I'm so sorry. I just searched the info on the 'Net. :3 **

**Secondly, Frederick Chase did not remarry, and Athena is Annabeth's mother. Matthew and Bobby are still her siblings; both of them are 7 years old.**

**Thirdly, sorry for any grammatical/spelling errors in this chapter. And for this very long A/N.**

**Lastly, special thanks to the people who reviewed, followed, and added this story to their favorites. :D**

**Alishacet:**** It's a part of a scene that will happen sometime in the story. I just made it into a prologue. (Did that even make sense to you? XD) The first two people are correct (it's kinda obvious, eh?). It might be Nico…or Grover. You'll just have to wait and see. ;) Oh, and it's an AU (forgot to mention it, thanks for pointing it out); no gods or anything mythological. Though, I might be using their names for certain things.**

**Guest (anon):**** It's a Percabeth story. No OCs, as of now. :)**

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**DISCLAIMER: Me (still) does not own PJO/HoO. (Though, someday I might own it…in my dreams.)**

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**Annabeth (age 13)**

"Annabeth!" I heard my mom yell. "Get up; it's time to get ready for school!"

I sighed and got up, knowing that shouting back "Five minutes, Mom!" won't do me any good. I stretched and yawned, then walked groggily towards the bathroom.

About ten minutes after, I got out and wore my school uniform. It consisted of a plain white blouse, knee-length blue and white plaid skirt, a ribbon-slash-necktie of the same colors and print, white socks, and black buckle wedge shoes. I snatched my ID card from my dresser's top and put it inside my backpack. After all preparations had been done, I ran down the stairs, dropped my backpack in the living room, and ran towards the dining room. Upon arriving there, I saw my dad reading the newspaper in front of the table; Matthew playing with his cereals, sleep evident on his face; Bobby sleeping on his plate filled with bacon and eggs; and Mom cooking some more bacon.

"Good morning," I said.

Dad looked up from the newspaper and smiled at me. "Good morning, Annabeth. Come, sit and eat. Don't mind your brothers there."

I smiled back and answered, "Those I can do." As I sat down on my usual place, Mom handed me my plate of French toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon. I thanked her and proceeded to eat.

"Mom," I said after one bite, "you never fail to make the best French toast."

My mother chuckled before replying, "I think you've said that every time I cook French toast."

"I know. I just wanted to compliment you and your heavenly creation," I grinned at her.

With that, I continued eating my breakfast. If not for my dad reminding me that we have to go, I would have sat there longer, savoring each bite of my French toast. I hurriedly ate, brushed my teeth in the bathroom, and then ran to the living room. During all that fuss, my brothers decided to wake up and repeat my actions. We then waited for our dad to accompany us to our respective schools. I go to Starlight Middle School as an eighth grader. My brothers, on the other hand, enter Orchard Elementary as second graders.

We waited for approximately five minutes for Dad, and when he'd finish whatever he was doing, we said goodbye to Mom and immediately went to the car. I called shotgun, and when Matthew heard that, he grumbled something incoherently before climbing in the backseat with Bobby.

It was just a three-minute-drive going to Orchard Elem, so Dad ushered the twins first before he went straight to my school, which was about two, three meters away from Orchard Elem. During the drive, my conversation with Dad went like this:

"**So, Annie…"**

"Yeah, Dad?"

"**Your middle school graduation happens in less than 4 months."**

"And?"

"**And you're almost a high school student."**

"So?"

"**I just want to say that…don't be afraid to tell or ask me, or your mom, anything."**

"Um…okay? I guess…"

And you could say it was followed by an awkward silence. I know I was acting kind of rude, answering him with one or two words, but I really didn't know what to say to that. I mean, how bad can high school be?

_Except for the occasional group of bratty girls, and annoying jocks, _I thought, _I think I can handle high school._

We had arrived Starlight Middle School at the end of my thought, so I kissed my dad's cheek and said goodbye to him before climbing out of the car and entering the school. Upon entering, I instantly spotted my best friend's spiky black hair and her signature punk/rock clothes.

Let me give you a quick description of her: her name's Thalia Grace, is the same age as me, likes—no, _loves_—to wear black/punk/rock clothes, and you do _not _want to be on her bad side. That's all you need to know about the one and only, Thalia Grace.

Smiling, I walked quickly towards her and tapped her on the back.

"What the heck is your—" Thalia turned and snapped at the 'unknown back-tapper'. She then realized that it was just me, so she grinned and said, "Oh. It's just you, Annie."

"Thals?" I said.

She rested her arm around my shoulders. "Yeah?"

"Don't call me Annie."

She laughed, which didn't surprise me, since this was her usual response every time I remind her of that. We walked while conversing comfortably about our lives, the past few days, and whatnots, until she asked a question that surprised me.

"So, are you and my cousin a thing?"

I stopped walking abruptly and looked at her with a surprised face. "What made you say that?"

Thalia shrugged. "Well, you and Nico always hang around each other, so I thought that you two were…you know."

An unwanted blush crept up my neck to my face. "N-no, Thalia… It's not like that… I mean, we're both too young for that, y'know… We're just friends…" I rambled as we continued walking to our homeroom class.

She raised an eyebrow, obviously not buying my explanation, but left it alone. "Yeah, whatever. I just needed to know if you are or not."

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow at her. "For what?" _Or better yet, for _whom_? _I added silently in my mind.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just curious." She waved her hand, as if saying 'Never mind it, it's none of your business.'

"Sure…" I answered.

Finally, we reached the room where we had homeroom. I sat on the front chair closest to the door, and Thalia took the seat on my right. I noticed that the teacher was not yet there, so I took out my 'book-for-the-week', which was _City of Fallen Angels _by Cassandra Clare. I opened it on the page where I had placed my bookmark and resumed reading starting there. I became immediately absorbed in the book that I hadn't become aware of more students filing in, then the teacher coming in next.

"Psst, Annie," Thalia tapped my arm. "Mrs. Heathers is already in. Continue ogling on your book after the announcements."

I rolled my eyes at her last sentence before keeping the book in my bag. It was then that I noticed that Mrs. Heathers (or Mrs. Heater, as what the 'cool' people called her for reasons unknown) was indeed announcing something.

"This Saturday, we're going to have a High School Night, which is like a Junior-Senior Promenade, but with a twist, which, I may add, you will know once the event itself starts," said Mrs. Heathers.

Most students started bombarding the teacher with questions, some had curious or confused expressions on their faces, and others were plainly amused. I was part of the second option, while Thalia was the latter.

One student voiced out everyone's question, though, and as expected, it was the class's resident queen bee-tch, Drew Tanaka.

"Do we have to bring dates to the event, Mrs. Heathers?" said the girl.

Mrs. Heathers nodded. "Yes, you do. Though, it is optional, you may bring in dates from other schools," at that, Drew and her cronies gushed.

The teacher said, "And you have to wear formal clothes; dresses for girls and tuxedos or suits for boys. And," she added, "no matter how amusing it is, boys should and must not wear dresses, and girls, tuxedos."

The students, including me, laughed at her comment. After a moment of laughing, Mrs. Heathers said we can do anything we want to for the remaining forty minutes of homeroom. I was about to get my book from my bag, but Thalia leaned in and asked, "Hey, Annabeth, who do you think would ask you to the dance?"

I pondered on this for a while. "I don't really know, Thals. You know I'm not really someone the boys around here would want to ask to go with them to the dance. But," I said, "I do know that _someone _seems to want to ask you."

Thalia looked baffled. "Who?"

I tilted my chin, pointing to Luke Castellan, who was seating four seats from her right. Luke—poor guy has a crush on Thalia since sixth grade, but his feeling remain unknown to her—was staring at her dreamily. He stopped daydreaming and averted his glance once he saw Thalia's gaze on him.

She faced me again and asked, "Luke? Why would he even want to ask me to go with him to the dance?"

I sighed. "You really don't realize anything, don't you?" I decided not to say anything more; it was not my place to tell her about Luke's feelings for her.

"No, I actually don't, Annie," she mumbled.

"'Annabeth'," I corrected her. I then resumed what I was supposed to do before Thalia's question stopped me: continuing my reading of my book.

Although I'd like to say that Thalia's question did not bug me in my head, it did. It was _so _uncharacteristic of me to think about dates to dances, or boys in general. I was thinking of people who might want to ask me to the dance, but I can't figure out who'd want to ask a nerdy, book-loving girl like me to the High School Night.

Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

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**Yeeaaah... I think this chapter sucked at some points. I don't know, that's just what I think. Tell me what you guys thought of this chapter!**

**Reviews encourage me to write more, so keep those reviews coming in! (Yeah, I'm a sucker for reviews. XD)**


	3. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: This author does not own PJO, nor does she own any song, brand, and/or company mentioned in this story.**

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I would love to say that somebody _did _ask me to the dance. The only bad thing is that…it was the most unlikely person who asked—more like _forced_, but I'm not gonna be a spoiler now—me to be their date.

It happened in our fifth period, which was Music. We were the first ones to arrive in the music room, and since there was still about thirty minutes until classes start, we chose to play some of the instruments for a while. I went to the piano, and Thalia got the guitar. I played my favourite song on the piano. The song was "Drops of Jupiter" by Train. At the chorus part, Thalia played the guitar as an accompaniment to my playing of the piano. It had a quite nice blending sound. We then started singing along to our playing.

"_Tell me, did you fall from a shooting star, one without a permanent scar,_" we sang. "_And did you miss me—_"

Then we heard clapping from behind.

"Wow, Chase," a horribly familiar voice said. "I didn't know you can play the piano _and _sing. I thought you only were a nerd. Who knew Annabeth Chase had a musical part in her?"

My fists turned pale and white as I balled them very tightly. "Could you _please _shut up?" I gritted my teeth in annoyance.

Percy Jackson—the infuriating boy—separated himself from the doorway and walked towards us. Or me, in particular. "Oh, Annie. You could never make me shut up by using words. Maybe you could…" he smirked suggestively. I would be lying if I didn't think that he was cute at the first time I saw him. I mean, with his jet-black hair, sea green eyes, well-toned muscles (how could an _eighth grader _even have those muscles?), no girl would not like him. Heck, now, almost all of the girls, not including Thalia and I, here at school wants to be his girlfriend!

I had the urge to punch him right there and then. But I just breathed in, then out, and relaxed my mind. _ I will not punch this guy, I will not waste my time for that…_thing.

"Hey, Thals," I looked towards Thalia, who remained uncharacteristically silent during our spat. "I'm gonna go out for a while."

"Okay," she muttered. She began tuning the guitar to her liking. I took that as my cue to leave the music room, but unfortunately, Percy stretched out his arm to block the doorway.

"Where do you think you're going, Annie?" he said with that smirk which everybody else thought of as cute and endearing, but not me. I knew what it meant. _Trouble._

"Move over, Jackson," I said rather impatiently. This boy is getting on my nerves, and I absolutely do not want to deal with him right now.

His smirk grew wider as he said, "How about no? We still have a _lot _to talk about." He stretched out the 'o' sound in "lot" purposely, just to annoy me.

I sighed half in impatience, half in anger. "Like what? You better say it fast because class is gonna start in," I checked my wristwatch for the time, "fifteen minutes."

"That's still an awful lot of time, don't you think?"

"No, it's not!" I snapped. "Just say...whatever you need to say."

He took hold of my arm and pulled me out of the room, through the sea of people in the hallway, and inside an empty classroom. Percy closed and locked the door after we came in. Though, the reason why he took me here, I do not know.

"Didn't want anyone eavesdropping on us," he answered my unsaid question. Okay, I thought, that was creepy. It was like he read my mind or something.

"Um, okay, so," I said, sitting down on one of the chairs at the front. Percy, on the other hand, sat on the teacher's table. I was really grateful that the room didn't have any windows other than the ones that show the view outside, or else I would have regretted that this ever happened. "Why did you bring me here again?"

"We're going to talk," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"The dance."

I was really confused at that point. "Um, so?"

Percy clasped his hand in front of him and leaned forward. "I have a proposal-slash-deal-slash-dare," he told me with a very serious voice, which wasn't like him.

"And what is it?" I just realized that I have been asking a lot of questions, but it's kind of his fault. He decided to not explain things very well, so here I was, asking him questions.

He contemplated on this for a while before answering, "I want you to be my girlfriend."

"What?!" I was surprised and horrified at this. "No. No, no, no. I mean—it's just that—ugh! WHY?" I stood up to face him.

"Whoa, Chase. Not as a _real _girlfriend. Like, a fake relationship. Just to know if Rachel really likes me or not. And you're gonna be my date for the High School Night, by the way," he explained. _Oh. Rachel Elizabeth _freaking _Dare, _I thought. _The redhead stuck-up brat. _Okay, some might say that Rachel isn't really a stuck-up brat ("She just has family issues, Annabeth. Can you not understand that?" _No, I don't, actually._), but I know better. I just do. It was because of an incident that happened a few years back…but that's a story for another time.

I took the time to comprehend this properly. "Well, if I don't agree?"

Percy smirked again. "I could spread this video I took of you singing and playing the piano. Post it on Facebook, share it on YouTube…I'd use every method just to let the _whole school _hear your oh-so-lovely performance," he said with thick sarcasm.

My eyes widened at this. "You took a video of it?! Why?" I asked in surprise. Honestly, why would Percy Jackson—of all people—take a video of me singing?

"For future blackmail, of course. Like what's happening right now."

_Of course. _"I hate you," I said, hatred and rage seething inside me.

"I'm taking that as a yes, Chase. Picking you up at six PM on Saturday. Be sure to wear something blue, and do be pretty for the dance. I can't afford to have my _girlfriend-_slash-_date _looking like shit on the most expected day of all eighth graders," he emphasized on the words 'girlfriend' and 'date'.

"I didn't even say 'yes' yet!" I argued.

He leaned forward even closer to my face, so close that I can almost feel and hear him breathe. "So? I don't really care." He then swung his feet to the other side of the table, getting off of it, and walked towards the door. "And Annie?"

I turned my head to face him. "What?" I said rather softly.

"Our fake relationship starts today. I'll also ask Silena to beautify you for the dance. I'm sure," he added, "that you'll be the most beautiful girl on that night." He winked at me after saying that, then went out the empty room to probably loiter around the campus.

On the other hand, I stood there very still, taken aback from his earlier comment. I shook my head to escape from my train of thought, checked my watch for the time, and then ran back to the music room, three minutes before my class starts.

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"He said _what_?" Thalia screamed. It was lunch time, and we were under the big apple tree, which was in front of the cafeteria. Thalia and I were the only ones who occupied that place. After eating, I told her what happened after Percy and I had went out of the music room. And that made her say what she had just said.

"Dude! I made you promise that you'd not over-react at that!" I exclaimed.

She made a face at me. "You and I both know that I would not keep that promise. I mean, sure, I thought that he just told you something normally insulting. But _that_ had crossed the line."

"I didn't really agree to his deal, y'know."

"But he's gonna do everything and anything just to get what he wants! Don't you remember, Annabeth? I spent my past five years living with that freak and his antics," she pointed out.

I actually forgot about the fact that Thalia and Percy were cousins—their fathers were brothers and partners at some business Thalia did not mention—and that she had actually lived with him for five years. She never told me why she did that in the first place, if she was going to live on her own in the end anyway. I chose not to pry for information that might be personal.

Sighing, I answered, "I know that, Thals. I told you, I didn't really agree to it. He more like _forced _me to be his date-slash-girlfriend. But, hey," I added, "looking at the bright side, I don't have to worry about who's going to ask me out for the dance anymore."

"So, it's okay for you to dance with your oppressor, Annabeth? It's okay to spend six hours—_six hours_, may I emphasize—with that jerk?" she asked.

It was my turn to make a face at her. "I was just being optimistic here. I don't really want to think about it that much right now."

"Okay, okay. I'll stop," she said, raising her hands in surrender.

We remained silent for a couple of moments, letting the cool breeze and warm sunlight hit us.

"Oh, Thals?" I said suddenly. "Did someone already ask you out?"

She remained stiff, even as she nodded slightly. Her cheeks became redder, and that wasn't just because of the sunlight that rested on her face.

I grinned, genuinely happy for my best friend. "Really? Who? When? I'm craving for details here!" I gushed.

"Luke Castellan," she said in a small voice. "When you and Jerk-son went out running. He came in about two minutes after, then just asked me to be his date suddenly. Well, I said 'yes' immediately, though I don't know why..."

Squealing in a fangirlish manner, I hugged my now-tomato-faced friend. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! I told you he'd ask you out!"

Thalia chuckled, embarrassment and joy heard from her voice. "Well, you didn't really tell me, but I think I got the gist of it that time."

"I did tell you. Anyway, I'm so happy for you, Thals! I really am," I said, hugging her tighter. I then pulled away, but my hands were still on her shoulders. "Is this gonna be a steady relationship or just for the sake of having a date for Saturday?"

She simply shrugged, but the small smile on her face showed her hope of having a steady relationship, "Dunno. Just gonna go with the flow, I guess. But how 'bout you and Percy? Aren't you wishing for that fake bond between the two of you to be real? Y'know, with your crush on him and all."

I removed my hands from her shoulders and leaned against the tree, not looking at her. "Thals, I'm not wishing for it to be real. _And _I do not have a crush on him. Not anymore." And I was stating facts. I absolutely did not wish for it to be real, and I don't admire Percy anymore, ever since he had started being a jerk last year.

"Sure..." she said as she mimicked my position. I knew that she was hiding something, but decided not to ask her about it.

We stayed in that comfortable position for about twenty minutes, until the bell rang and we went to our next classes.

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It was already dismissal time, so I went to my locker to keep some of my things and put others in my bag. After accomplishing that task, I headed towards the exit and texted my dad, '_will walk home w/ Thalia. Might be late for some minutes. Love you. –Annie'. _My dad and my mom were the only ones who I approve of calling me 'Annie'. Not Thalia, nor my brothers. Just my parents.

I was rocking back and forth on my heels while I waited for Thalia to come out, when someone latched an arm on my shoulder and pulled me towards the gates. I looked up to see who this person was, and when I did see the face, my mood instantly went downhill.

"Oh. It's you," I simply said. "Get your arm off my shoulder. I'm waiting for someone."

"Ouch, Annie," Percy said in mock hurt. "Is that how you treat your _boyfriend_?"

I stopped in my tracks, and faced him. "Actually, no, but that is how I treat my _fake _boyfriend. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back—" I jabbed my thumb backwards, pointing at the doors, "—to the entrance to wait for my best friend." And so I did.

A certain, annoying green-eyed boy decided to follow me back, though.

I decided to ignore him, but it was a hard task to do, since he put his arm around my shoulder again, pulling me closer to him. I instinctively leaned away, but he gripped my shoulders tightly, thus, pulling me even closer. Percy poked my cheek affectionately, and it honestly made me smile a little bit. Then, I saw Rachel pass our direction, together with her group. So that's why he did that. After Rachel had passed, Percy removed his arm from its place on my shoulder, and put his hands in his pants' pockets, instead.

By that time, I decided to text Thalia about her whereabouts and why she was taking so long to go out. She replied back with this: '_I'm with Luke rn. sorry, wasn't able to tell you. go out with ur bf or smth. ;) –T xx'_

"Really, Thals?" I groaned. As much as I want Thalia and Luke going out, I definitely did not want things like this to happen. Waiting for someone who wouldn't come, I mean. I wasted my precious time just waiting for her!

Percy must've heard that, so he asked, "Everything okay?" Whoa. He actually sounded sincerely concerned. _Okay, _I thought, _this is _not _a Percy-like action._

I nodded. "Yeah. I'm gonna head home now, so...bye." I began walking towards the gates to ride the bus home, but Percy held onto my arm, preventing me from walking.

"I'm gonna walk you home. If," he continued, "that's okay with you." He was scratching the back of his head in a sort of nervous way. _Why is he nervous?_

"Uh, sure, I guess. Come on, then," I told him as we walked out of the campus together.

And I might or might not have enjoyed the way he put his arm on my shoulder, intentionally or not, as we paced synchronically to my house.

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**This is not that /great/ in any way. But tell me what you thought of this. :)**

**Anyway, here's an update after almost two months of waiting! I've had a very busy month at school (exams, intramurals, field demonstration practices) and haven't got the time to finish this. At least I got the right ending...probably. I don't really know.**

**AND GUYS. PERCY'S OFFICIALLY IN THE STORY OKAY. TELL ME YOUR GLAD FOR THAT OMG.**

**(Doing this 'cause it's awesome and fun) Question of the chapter: If ever, how do you want to be asked out for a date/the prom or dance? c:**

**Okay. That's all. Don't forget to review! :)**


	4. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything~ Except for the plot and the occassional OCs, of course.  
**

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We walked together towards my house, which was a close-to-25-minutes walk from the school. Percy still had his arm on my shoulders and was looking directly forward. It was strange, though; he wasn't blabbering or anything. We were both in a seemingly comfortable silence.

Which then was gone when we passed an ice cream parlour.

"Ooh, Annabeth! C'mon, let's go inside. I'm gonna go buy some ice cream," Percy said excitedly. He removed the arm that was on my shoulders and attached his hand on my wrist, practically dragging me towards the said store.

I sighed, "I doubt that anything I say will be accepted, anyway."

Once we entered the parlour, we ran—no, Percy ran and I was _dragged_—to the counter for the cashier to take our orders. He released my wrist when we arrived our destination.

"Hey, Anna. It's been quite a long time since you came here, huh?" Tom, the cashier who was also a close family friend, asked me.

I smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry. Haven't got the time to, and frankly, I'd been laying off the sweets for a while now. Mom said sweets made me more hyperactive than normal."

Tom also knew about my ADHD because Mom had told him about it once when he told the family about him working in this very store. She was worried that he might "spoil me with those sugary foods". Oh, and did I mention he was also one of the people I allowed to call me Anna?

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. But anyway, who's your friend?" he smirked.

I shook my head. "No, Tom, he's not my friend. More like…mere _acquaintances._"

He simply 'mhmm'-ed in reply, still smirking at me. Percy, on the other hand, muttered something incoherent under his breath, and he looked annoyed.

"Anyway," I then said to break the silence, "I'd have the usual, please."

"Still salted caramel and dark chocolate fudge?" Tom asked, preparing the cup for my ice cream.

I nodded in confirmation. Turning to Percy, I tilted my head to Tom, gesturing that he should also tell his order now.

"I'd have bubblegum and vanilla, please. With chocolate chips on top," he said.

Tom said an 'okay', then gave the both of us our cups. "That will be $5.45," he told us.

I was about to take out my wallet to pay for the expenses, but a certain green-eyed boy beat me to it. Percy gave the older man the exact payment for the ice cream. I thanked Tom, then followed Percy out of the store while eating.

"Why the heck did you pay for my cup? I could've paid for mine, and you paid for yours. Simple as that," I questioned Percy as soon as we got out of the parlour.

"Because," was his simple reply.

"Because _what_?"

He shrugged, scooping a spoonful of whitish-blue dairy goodness and putting it inside his mouth. "Just because."

I wasn't satisfied with his answer, but I let it slip; I just glared at him to show him my annoyance. Continuing our trek to my house—now with our cups of precious ice cream—we again fell into a _seemingly _comfortable silence. (I had been saying _seemingly _because, well, I couldn't and shouldn't be comfortable with this. And also, there was still some kind of tension between us; whether it is the awkward or annoyance kind, I'm not sure.)

Again, after some moments of the silence, Percy broke it. "So, you have ADHD or something, right?" He didn't ask, he just stated it like it was obvious.

"Well, yeah. What's it to you?" I retorted.

"I'm also diagnosed with it," he shrugged in a it's-no-big-deal manner.

Raising my eyebrow at this, I said, "Really, huh?"

"Yep," he replied, popping the 'p'. "I'm guessing that you also have dyslexia, am I right?" Percy was looking at me with a small smile. No, it wasn't the kind of smile that annoyed me to bits; it was the genuine kind of smile that was rarely seen on Percy Jackson's face. Well, in my case, that is.

"How'd you know…?" I was now surprised and curious as to why he knew about my condition.

He shrugged indifferently again. "I have that, too. And so do my cousins Nico and Thalia."

"Hmm, yeah. I knew Thalia had them, too. She always complained about not being able to read the numbers in Math properly."

Percy laughed, and, believe it or not,it wasn't that taunting laugh of his. _A real laugh of happiness._

First, he acts like we've been friends for years, walking me home and all that. Next, we get into a civil conversation. Then he shows this another side of him, a side that I did not imagine I would be the receiving end of. _What has the world gone to? _I ask myself disbelievingly.

I shake my head to clear off those thoughts and continue walking. "Well, come on now. My family's waiting for me at home."

"Okay, okay. Let me just throw my cup in the bin. How 'bout you, are you done with yours?"

I nodded. "Well, give it to me. I'll throw it in, too," he got my empty ice cream cup then discarded both cups and spoons in a nearby waste basket.

See. Another friendly gesture. I swear something's up with this dude. But I'm also sure that this good side of him will disappear soon.

"Um, thanks? I guess…" I told him as he approached me.

Percy raised his eyebrow, questioning, "Thanks for what?"

"Walking me home, paying for my ice cream…basically everything."

We trudged some more, and then my house appeared in my point of view. We were three minutes away from it.

"Hmm. Okay, you're welcome, then," Percy answered after some time.

There was a question on the tip of my tongue waiting to be answered. "But, Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you doing this? I mean, for, like, the whole year, all you did was tease me and all that. So, why?" There. I asked it.

Silence.

"Well," Percy said, prolonging the 'e' in the word. "Because."

There we go again with the one-word answers. I knew the good side of him would be disappearing soon, and it did.

"Because what? What's your reason for all this?" I added, "And if you say 'because' one more time, I'm cutting off our deal."

He was uncharacteristically silent. During times like this, Percy Jackson always—and I say, _always_—had all types of replies ready to be said. But look at him, he's been quiet and all that.

Then, suddenly, he smirked. The smirk on his face was the one I've always wanted to erase from that face of his. "Well, that is for me to know and for you to find out," he said.

"Isn't that enlightening," I deadpanned. We were now in front of my house, and I was more than ready to say goodbye to this jerk, more preferably for the rest of my life.

"Okay, then," I said as I stepped in front of the door. "Goodbye, Percy. Thank you again. Now, shoo."

I was about to go inside, when Percy said, "What? No goodbye kisses or anything?"

Turning around to face him, I coldly glared at him. "No, Jackson. I don't have to do that _outside _of school. Though, what I want you to do for me is to get the hell out of here. _Now._" See, I don't usually cuss. But when near him, I tend to curse more than normal.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh. I'm going now," he muttered while holding his hands up in a surrendering position. He then turned and started to walk away. "Bye Annie! See ya tomorrow!" Percy said over his shoulder.

"It's _Annabeth_, not _Annie_!" I shouted back.

He laughed (and yes, it was obvious that he was laughing, even though he was quite far away now). "Whatever, _Annie_!"

I groaned in frustration. I can't really do anything to get through that thick skull of his.

But, if I was really honest with myself, I'd say that it was one of the things that made me like him before.

* * *

**A/N: Hey there! First of all, sorry for the almost-five-month wait for this chapter. I'm sorry that this is short, too. But hey, a short chapter is better than no chapter, right? :D Second, thanks to all who reviewed, followed, and/or added this story (and me!) to their favorites. I really appreciate it. Third, I also apologize for any misspelled word/s or wrong grammar. ((oh wow i'm doing a lot of apologizing don't ya think but i think it's needed so yeah)) **

**NOTE THAT IS NOT RELEVANT TO THE STORY OR PJO/HoO: who's a fan of Fairy Tail here? I need someone to fangirl with because the latest chapters of the manga are so awesome omFG AAAAHHHH ANSIDKFNOIEN**

**...Um. Okay. Anyway! You guys know the drill! Review/Follow/Add to Favorites! Bye~ c:**


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